Ed Lammi ’70 may be running some of your favorite shows at Sony Pictures Television today (does Breaking Bad ring any bells?), but his beginnings were in the same place as the rest of us: Alpha-Delta. During his first year at Penn State, Ed found himself feeling like a small fish in a very big pond. He still credits his mother (who, he says, was a very wise lady) with being the first to suggest he join a fraternity.

“She suggested that I look into it as a way to make that world a little smaller and more manageable, and that turned out to be absolutely the case,” says Ed.

But Ed didn’t want to join just any fraternity. So many of them just weren’t a good a fit, since he didn’t exactly consider himself a “stereotypical fraternity guy.” But Kappa Sigma immediately felt like home.

“What I liked about the guys at Kappa Sigma was that they just seemed like a really great bunch of guys,” says Ed. “It was much more comfortable.”

The rest was history, and Ed got to enjoy the rest of his Penn State years at the old Kappa Sig house on Highland Ave. He says that Rush is still one of his favorite memories of all.

What’s most interesting about Ed’s story is that he fell into the world of TV completely by accident. In fact, he wasn’t even a broadcasting major. During his fourth-year speech class, he was one of three people in a group of eight to actually do the work for a semester-long project. Because of that, one of the other three offered Ed a part-time job where he worked, at WPSX.

“I knew nothing about TV. I just needed the money,” says Ed. “I just sort of fell in love with this business, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Today, Ed is Executive Vice President of Production at Sony Pictures Television, and has been at the company for 29 years. His studio runs some of the biggest shows on television, including Better Call Saul, The Blacklist, Outlander, Preacher, Timeless, and previously Breaking Bad and Community.

Living just outside of Los Angeles, Ed doesn’t make it back to visit Happy Valley as much as he wishes he could, but he has always stayed connected to Kappa Sigma. Brother Rod Kemerer ‘72 remains one of his best friends, and was even the best man at Ed’s wedding.

Ed has also generously given back to Kappa Sigma over the years, and when asked why, he thinks back to his active days.

“I was a Pledge Master, and I know from having gone to those meetings what it takes to run a chapter,” says Ed.

And after all, according to Ed, that process contributed to getting him where he is today.

“It gives you good life lessons, because you all have to pull together and manage this whole thing: the budget, the house, the food, prepare for Rush—all that stuff,” says Ed. “You have to become more responsible, basically. And I think that’s a good thing.”

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